MUSKEGON, MI - It's only fitting that after a dominant high school wrestling career on the mat that Ian Cook would score a major decision victory in the polls.
The Reeths-Puffer senior standout finished third overall in the 144-pound division of the Division 1 individual state finals in Detroit last weekend. He closed out his high school career with a 4-3 decision win over Brighton in the third-place match of his division and will graduate as the winningest wrestler in school history with a record of 204-16.
Cook finished the 2024-25 season with a 52-1 record and captured his fourth consecutive O-K Green Conference championship, GMAA city tournament championship, as well as Division 1 district and regional titles.
He also earned All-State honors in all four of his varsity seasons, as he finished third overall as a freshman, sixth as a sophomore and third the past two seasons.
"I had the privilege of being a spectator and coach of Ian throughout the years, and he never seemed to disappoint," said Reeths-Puffer wrestling coach Brad Cowles. "Every time Ian stepped on the mat, he put on an amazing show for the fans.
"Ian Cook has set a new standard for wrestlers at Reeths-Puffer with his list of accomplishments and is a great leader, motivator and inspiration on and off the mat."
Cook earned the admiration and appreciation from the readers of MLive and the Muskegon Chronicle this week, as he earned more than 90 percent of the total votes cast to secure top honors as the MLive Muskegon Winter Sports Athlete of the Week.
Mona Shores senior bowler Derek Kern finished runner-up in the voting process after he rolled the third 300 game of his varsity career last weekend at the Division 1 individual state finals. Kern finished ninth overall during the qualifying round to earn All-State honors.
Muskegon girls basketball standout Mariah Sain finished third in total votes this week after she scored 21 points in her team's upset win over Grand Rapids West Catholic. She went on to score a game-high 19 points in her team's loss to top-ranked Rockford on Wednesday night in the Division 1 district semifinals.
Muskegon boys basketball standout Arquez Petty finished fourth overall in total votes after he scored 21 points, including 15 in the second half, during his team's narrow loss to Rockford in the Division 1 district championship game last week.
Whitehall girls wrestling standout Kassie Sapp closed out the Top 5 vote-getters in this week's poll. The freshman phenom finished runner-up at 115 pounds last weekend after a narrow 4-3 loss in the state championship match against Gracey Barry of Grand Haven. She closed out her first varsity season with a 15-3 overall record.
To see all of this week's Athlete of the Week nominees, click here.
Coaches and athletic directors are asked to nominate candidates for next week's award by emailing Josh VanDyke at [email protected].
Below are the final results of this week's Athlete of the Week poll.
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